Chris Matthews Insists 'Hardball Is Absolutely Nonpartisan'

By Tim Graham | December 09, 2010 | 15:43

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Patrick Gavin at Politico captured revelations from a Thursday interview Chris Matthews granted at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in DC. On his show: "Obviously, I think I'm the best. But each one of the other people think they're the best, too....I think I'm the best, generally....There's no doubt about it, in fact, but other people have different views....'Hardball' is absolutely nonpartisan."

How then, does Matthews explain his Thrill Up My Leg reputation? Is he a journalist? He says yes: "Absolutely. I have to deal with facts every night. I have to cover the news every night." Does he really believe people watching his show buy that he's running a fact-based nonpartisan seminar?

But to Matthews, The Washington Post has now devolved into a "neocon" paper. He reads the Washington Examiner first, then Politico, and "Then I look at the [Washington] Post, which is not what it used to be. Each year it's less than what it used to be before....It's so neocon I can hardly read it....I read the New York Times....You gotta read some other newspapers before you read the Times, you have to work your way up to it.... The [Wall Street] Journal, once in a while, not often."

He also dismissed The Washington Post's Style section: "I used to love the Style section. ... What a joke it is. ... It's about this ridiculous show business news that is totally boring."

Check out our 2008 Best of NQ category: the MSNBC = Maudlin Sycophantic Nutty Blathering Chris Award.

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Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Tim Graham on Twitter.

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Comments

That's right

Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 3:49pm.

Just keep telling yourself that, Prissy, I'm sure you believe it.

Even though you tell lies and are hyper-partisan, maybe someone in your less than a dozen fan base might believe it. That's not counting the people where you work.

So just keep telling yourself that.

-Jon

HO-HO-HO

Submitted by Lakewood Ed on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 3:52pm.

and I'm Santa Claus *<:-3

www.FairTax.org

Hardball is Nonpartisan

Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 3:54pm.

Matthews however, is a hyper-leftist tool.

President Obama is a Muslim (from his own lips), Kenyan (read it from his publicist) a homosexual (read it on a news magazine cover) and a Socialist (I'm alive and can see it for myself)

Does Matthews know what the word "nonpartisan" means?

Submitted by JLin on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 3:59pm.

I mean really...

In the words of the immortal Inigo Montoya:

Submitted by TempusFugit on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 8:59pm.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

In Switzerland, they had brotherly love and five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock! - Orson Welles

Nonpartisan compared to what exactly?

Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:06pm.

I watch it or at least give it a peak every night as Beck ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Of course I would walk over hot burning glass to grab the clicker to change it to NOT see a second of Special Ed and dammit, I need my fresh pickens, the panel and just a damn good show from Brett and Company at 06:00.

Best show on Fox next to Red Eye.

Now if Tingles stated that it is not AS partisan as the brutally left wing dreck and garbage on after his show, he mayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy have a point.

But it is NOT nonpartisan by any stretch, it is as nonpartisan as Hannity, and like Hannity, they both have each side on somtimes, but Tingles likes asking questions and then answering for the Conservative except for Ron Christie who smacks them all around by using facts which they tend to not like.

If you make poverty easy, you will have more of it. Benjamin Franklin

Non-partisan?!

Submitted by pcfreezone on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:02pm.

Chris, you're kidding right?

Chrissy Matthews

Submitted by RightRealDeal on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:03pm.

Matthews is non-partisan as much as OLbermann, Maddow, "Special Ed" and Larry Boy O'Donnell and for that matter all of them at MSNBC are "journalists". As someone else said: "Keep telling yourself that" and keep your eye on the thrill and the leg thing too.

To quote Chris himself....

Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:04pm.

HA!!

Let's see now...

Submitted by MightyMouth on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:25pm.

Matthews worked on the staffs of 4 DEMOCRAT congress members. Was a speech writer for DEMOCRAT Jimmah Carter. Married a San Fransisco liberal DEMOCRAT. Gets turned on by DEMOCRAT Barack Obama. hmmm. Sounds like a real conservative to me! /sarc.

On the plus side... he 'says' he voted for Dubbya in 2000. That makes the only evidence he has a conservative bone in his body... unprovable!

Obama 2012! The USA needs the pain!

Filthy Stain!

Submitted by circusstorm on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:20pm.

He is a filthy little stain that i keep off the front of my TV's.

OK - put up, Chris Matthews.

Submitted by Gary Hall on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:20pm.

OK, here's the challenge Chris Matthews.

Back in Nov. 2008, here you are (by the way, sounding like you were just a bit tipsy - slurring is not an excuse):

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Yeah, well, you know what? I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work , and I think that --

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Is that your job? You just talked about being a journalist!

MATTHEWS: Yeah, it is my job. My job is to help this country.

Now - if Matthews can find where he expressed on Hardball that he wanted the Bush presidency to work - to be succcessful, that it was his job to do that, then.. and only then can he be let into the discussion so that we can read him the other 500 (OK - it's unlimited) blatent biased partisan statements and views that he has expressed on his show, Hardball.

(;~/ gary

PS - Tim. Seems that a nice tight little list, say of the top 100 obvioulsy partisan statements by Matthews, could come in handy here.

(;~> gary

Is he ashamed?

Submitted by Model850 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:24pm.

Why the insistence on being nonpartisan or a (so-called) journalist? Is he ashamed of his partisanship?

I don't understand why he would have a problem just admitting his program is opinion-based commentary and not "hard" news. Not every program on a 24/7 "news" channel nas to be news. There are plenty of commentary programs on Fox that do not pretend to be anything but that. So what? Oftentimes that's what viewers want to watch. Big deal.

Grow up Matthews. Your show is commentary. Everyone (but you, apparently) knows it. And guess what? No one cares it's not a fact-based hard news show.

Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.

OMG--come on

Submitted by StarAZ on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:27pm.

He does not read the WSJ very often? The WashPost is neocon? He is nonpartisan...this is ridiculous! Sarah reads more interesting things than this guy and he is coming up with material. I am shocked--even coming from Chris (whom I no longer watch--but I did see the clip of him asking a member of Congress if she were in a trance--how journalistic was that?).

Whoa--took me a sec but I get it now

Submitted by StarAZ on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:29pm.

Comcast might not like the Tingles approach, and they may not watch the show, so let's just say it's factual.

OK Chrissie*

Submitted by cajun2 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:30pm.

Let's see if you truely are non-partisan. Give us an honest and factual explanation of this story out today about the evil George W. Bush and "he lied" mantra by the left.

http://townhall.com/columnists/LarryElder/2010/12/09/the_wikileaks_vindication_of_george_w_bush/page/1

By MSNBC standards, Tingles is nonpartisan

Submitted by SickofLibs on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:37pm.

Unlike, Olby, the newly anointed head of MSNBC, at least he occasionally has on a conservative or Republican guest. (Although like BOR, he spends most of the time talking over them or interrupting.)

I have to deal with facts every night..

Submitted by holeinthehull on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:40pm.

Matthews couldn't discern a fact from a Big Mac. Matthews is a typical liberal bull nugget. He says he is non partisan because he thinks he is a non partisan. Just because you say it -doesn't make it SO!

Matthews show smells like a steaming pile because it is a steaming pile of nonsensical human debris floating in and out of his show every night.

If you change the channel - it is almost like flushing a toilet without the noise.

www.holeinthehull.com

Holeinthehull

what a great analogy about

Submitted by RightRealDeal on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:25pm.

what a great analogy about changing the channel and flushing the toilet. Now I will turn them all on (MSNBC "Jpurnaiists") so I can flush each one! (and no noise, what a country).

Can Chris spell

Submitted by bassndude on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:46pm.

Can Chris spell d-e-l-u-s-i-o-n-a-l?

Save a SeAL, club a liberal/troll!!

Who's he kidding?

Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:54pm.

Matthews: ". . . I have to deal with facts every night . . . "

That may be, but he doesn't deal with facts well. It appears that the facts are just getting in the way of his discussions.

this guy is a compleet idiot if hes making that claim

Submitted by igor1136 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:56pm.

matthews is more full of crap than a christmas turkey!

Chrissy Boy is in Trance -- Permanently!

Submitted by gruyere cheese on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:58pm.

Non-partisan my *S*S*@#. All the newspapers he reads are liberal publications. He only reads the WSJ once in a while?

The management at this joke of a news station needs to remove the "wet bar" from the studio. Maybe then the so called on-air talent can have non-partisan, objective discussions with non liberals guests.

Non partisan my a**

Submitted by djwolf12 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:08pm.

Sorry, when 98 % of your guests are ALL SOROS watercarriers and your sources are Media Matters, ThinkProgress, Politico, and The Huffington Post (All Soros C***suckers), that doesn't make you Bi-Partisan. Oh, and having a debate between Pat Buchannan and David Corn over an issue that's source was Think Progress (From Yesterday's edition of Cornhole With Chris Matthews) and basically letting the host and Corn take over the debate, doesn't make you bi-partisan. THATS PARTISAN

"Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets". - Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver (1976).

Matthews + Journalist = Oxymoron

Submitted by Herbster on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:08pm.

The man is delusional. He must be off his meds. Psychotic! A psychiatrist could make a career of treating Chrissie.

That's right,

Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:21pm.

and I won the Viet Nam war all by myself............ and the Korean war..............and the War of 1812.

Now if krissy had said

Submitted by hbnolikeee on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:48pm.

he has a brain, that would have been a lie to big to hide.

hbnolikeee

Of Course "Hardball" Is Non-Partisan....

Submitted by DaMama on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:51pm.

I'm sure if Chris Matthews believes that, then he also must believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

Chris also belives Islam is

Submitted by bassndude on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 6:07pm.

Chris also belives Islam is the religion of peace.

Save a SeAL, club a liberal/troll!!

Chris Matthews is absolutely

Submitted by Beukeboom on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 6:06pm.

Chris Matthews is absolutely lying.

Tingles is drunk...

Submitted by adamsmith on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 7:32pm.

I think he went from keeping a pint under the desk, and now stores two one litre bottles. Thus the drooling and generally idiotic statements he makes. The guy is a lush, and is totally s#$t faced by the time he goes on air. I've seen him loaded enough times that this guy needs AA after each broadcast. At least he doesn't have a rubber ducky like Olbergoebbels....

The Loud Cry At MSNBC Is...

Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 10:26am.

"Christmas office party at Chris' office!!! Yahoo!!!"

ChickaBOOMer| Matthews: "I think I'm the best generally . . ."

Submitted by StewartIII on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:04pm.

Chris Matthews: "I think I'm the best generally . . . There's no doubt about it."
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2010/12/chris-matthews-i-think-im-best.html

I wouldn't hire this prissy pedant.........

Submitted by Redrowan2000 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:16pm.

To deliver the above mentioned newspapers never mind report on them. Journalist Heh! I think Olbermann knows he's over the top and somewhat nuts, but Tingles really believes he's objective. i guess that makes him more nuts.

"don't let the bastards grind you down."

Red

DOES MSNBC DRUG TEST?

Submitted by Metsie62 on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 2:23am.

The peacock network has had a history of outstanding comedians....Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, David Letterman....but Chris Matthews may be the funniest one of all